Last Updated on July 29, 2023
Get Rid Of Student Loans Without Paying
Student loans are a burden that many college graduates have to deal with. However, there are ways to get rid of student loans without paying them. If you’re one of the many people who are struggling to pay off their student loan debt, then this article is for you. Here are some tips on how to get rid of your student loans without paying them:
- Refinance Your Student Loans
Refinancing your student loans is a great way to get rid of your debt without paying it off. Refinancing means getting a new loan at a lower interest rate, which can reduce the amount of money that you owe each month. This is because lenders calculate interest rates based on what they think they can collect from borrowers over time. The lower the rate, the less interest will be collected over time, which means lower monthly payments for borrowers!
- Consolidate Your Debt With An Income-Driven Repayment Plan
Income-driven repayment plans allow borrowers with high levels of student loan debt to make smaller monthly payments by extending the length of their repayment period or capping monthly payments at 10% or 15% percent of their discretionary income (the amount
Get Rid Of Student Loans Without Paying
One of the few ways to get rid of private student debt is through discharge bankruptcy. It’s an arduous — and expensive — process. You’ll have to file Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy, then file an additional lawsuit known as an adversary proceeding. You’ll likely need a bankruptcy attorney throughout the process, which can cost thousands.
If you’re having difficulty making payments, your best option is to contact your private loan holder about renegotiating your payment or taking a short-term payment pause.
There are two other instances in which your loans may be forgiven without making a payment:
- Total and permanent disability discharge of both private and federal student loans is possible if you become disabled and can no longer work.
- Death discharge forgives all federal and private student loans borrowed since Nov. 20, 2018.
If you are in a dire student loan situation, such as default, one additional option to consider is settling your debt for less than you owe. If you’re successful, it won’t get rid of all your debt, but it can help ease the burden.
student loan forgiveness
- Income-driven repayment forgiveness. The federal government offers four main income-driven repayment plans, which allow you to cap your loan payments at a percentage of your monthly income. When enrolled in one of these plans, your remaining loan balance will be eligible for forgiveness after 20 or 25 years, depending on the plan. These plans are most beneficial for those with large loan balances relative to their income. Only 32 borrowers have received loan forgiveness through income-driven repayment forgiveness, according to the National Consumer Law Center. This forgiveness was made tax free retroactive to Dec. 2020 through the end of 2025, as part of the March 2021 American Rescue Plan. However, most borrowers will not qualify for forgiveness through income-driven repayment until the early 2030s.
» MORE: Student loan payment plan promises forgiveness, but rarely delivers
- Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Public Service Loan Forgiveness is available to government and qualifying nonprofit employees with federal student loans. Eligible borrowers can have their remaining loan balance forgiven tax-free after making 120 qualifying loan payments. Until Oct. 31, 2022, the Education Department has expanded which payments on federal student loans count toward PSLF through a limited waiver; now, payments on FFEL and Perkins loans, late payments and payments made on any repayment plan will retroactively count as qualifying payments.
- Teacher Loan Forgiveness. Teachers employed full time in low-income public elementary or secondary schools may be eligible for Teacher Loan Forgiveness after working for five consecutive years. They can have up to $17,500 in federal direct or Stafford loans forgiven. To qualify, teachers must have taken out loans after Oct. 1, 1998.
- Student loan forgiveness for nurses. Nurses shouldering student debt have several options for student loan forgiveness: Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Perkins loan cancellation, and the NURSE Corps Loan Repayment Program, which pays up to 85% of qualified nurses’ unpaid college debt. Public Service Loan Forgiveness may be the most likely option for most nurses — few borrowers have Perkins loans, and the NURSE Corps program is highly competitive.
- Obama student loan forgiveness. There’s no such thing as “Obama student loan forgiveness.” However, some student “debt relief” companies use it as a catch-all term for free federal programs — which they charge to enroll borrowers in. If you encounter a company offering “Obama student loan forgiveness,” consider it a red flag. Enrolling in federal programs like income-based repayment and federal student loan consolidation is free to do on your own through the Department of Education.
» MORE: How to get loan forgiveness through borrower defense to repayment
Other student loan forgiveness programs
There are a few additional niche student loan forgiveness or payment assistance programs you may qualify for through federal or state programs. Eligibility in these programs depends on your profession and where you work.
State-sponsored repayment assistance programs. Licensed teachers, nurses, doctors and lawyers in certain states may be able to take advantage of programs to assist with repaying debt. For example, the Mississippi Teacher Loan Repayment Program will pay up to $3,000 per year for a maximum of four years on undergraduate educational loans to teachers with a specific teaching license for each year of teaching full time in a particular geographical or subject area. Contact your state’s higher education department to find out if you qualify for a program.
Military student loan forgiveness and assistance. Military personnel in the Army, Navy, Air Force, National Guard and Coast Guard may qualify for their own loan forgiveness programs. In the National Guard, for example, qualifying soldiers and officers could receive up to $50,000 to pay off federal student loans through the Student Loan Repayment Program.
Additional student loan repayment assistance programs (LRAPs): There may be other national or organizational student loan repayment assistance programs offered for public service professions. The National Institutes of Health, for example, offers up to $35,000 in debt assistance annually to health professionals who are appointed by the institutes to conduct research. The American Bar Association has a list of state LRAPs for lawyers.
Student loan cancellation programs
Perkins loan cancellation. Borrowers with federal Perkins loans can have up to 100% of their loans canceled if they work in a public service job for five years. In many cases, approved borrowers will see a percentage of their loans discharged incrementally for each year worked. The Perkins loan teacher benefit is for teachers who work full time in a low-income public school or who teach qualifying subjects, such as special education, math, science or a foreign language.
